On Nov. 14, the Awarding Ceremony for the 8th DBN Science and Technology Award & Zhongguancun Global Agricultural Biotechnology Innovation Forum was successfully held in China National Conference Center, Beijing. Prof. Peng Zhang from SCCB participated in the event and was awarded the Encouragement Award to reward his achievement on cassava starch improvement using genetic engineering. Starch quality is an important agronomic trait of cassava, which directly affects cassava industrialization, especially in starch processing and bio-fuel production. After years of joint research efforts, Peng and his team developed a series of waxy cassava lines by the tissue-specific down-regulation of waxy gene expression using the RNAi approach. The field trials and starch physicochemical analysis of the genetically modified cassava were also carried out and demonstrated the successfully improvement in cassava starch quality. The study not only developed the technology for cassava starch modification but also provide novel starch materials for potential industrial applications. The funding from MOST 973 Program and MOA China Agriculture Research System financially supported the project.

DaBeiNong Science and Technology Award (DBN STA) was established by Beijing DaBeiNong Science and Technology Group Company, Ltd. (DBN Group) in 1999 to reward the personnel with outstanding achievements in applied agricultural research biennially. As a complement of national science and technology awards, DBN STA emphasizes specifically on the innovation, importance and industrialization potential of the submitted projects, with relatively loose requirement on the maturity. A total of 2092 applications were received in the eight DBN STA implementations, and a total of 260 applicants (including 9 Academicians) were awarded.